"Clinton lobbying against Serbian draft"

‎"This is a great lesson that I hope people in the future will heed. International pressure has nothing to do with morality or any other intellectual argument; it's all about who has the most power. We should as an exercise dissect past international initiatives and creation of states to see to what extent was morality or human rights a part of state building, and to what extent was it the interests of powerful nations. There is one important point to note for Serbs here. You have done a good job in planting a thorn in the side of some powerful nations. They need you and although some say that Serbia will lose the EU if it doesn't stop pushing for Kosovo dialogue, all evidence says that the more Serbia pushes its initiative, the more desperate the EU gets. The fact is they need Serbia in the EU, and they want Kosovo there too, but as an independent state. Serbia must stay its course and play political "rope a dope" as Muhammed Ali used to do whilst boxing. Take the punches and when these dudes exhaust themselves, start pushing again. It's a good plan, and if any group of people is stubborn enough to do it, it's the Serbs!"
Comment:(Daniel, 25 August 2010 11:36)

25 August 2010 | 10:31 | Source: Blic

BELGRADE -- Belgrade daily Blic writes today that American and British diplomacy chiefs have joined the lobbying efforts against Serbia's Kosovo draft. Belgrade has summited its resolution to the UN General Assembly in the wake of the ICJ advisory opinion in the Kosovo case. The newspaper quotes its diplomatic sources in New York as saying that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Secretary William Hague "undertook the leadership in lobbying against the Serbian resolution at the UN General Assembly". In their letters that the daily says it has seen, sent to presidents and prime ministers of about fifty countries including China, they call for a rejection of the Serbian draft, "with rather insulting claims aimed to explain unreasonable moves by Serbia". In the two letters, both on two pages, it is said that the UN General Assembly at the request of Serbia sought opinion from the ICJ whether Kosovo declaration on independence was contrary to international law. The ICJ gave its advisory opinion in July, saying that as international law has no active provisions prohibiting such proclamations, the Kosovo Albanian UDI did not violate it. The court did not declare itself on the right to self-determination or secession. Now the letters sent by Clinton and Hague reportedly point out that Serbia rejected to accept the ICJ ruling and has filed a resolution to the UN GA. The letters request rejection of the resolution "since the future of both Kosovo and Serbia is in the EU". Clinton and Hague have been joined in lobbying against Serbian resolution by foreign ministers of France and Saudi Arabia, Blic further writes. "Such intensive diplomatic activity is understood in international circles as a consequence of concern by the United States above all , for stability in Kosovo," claims the daily. The article further suggests that at this point, Belgrade has managed to secure the votes of some 50 countries, while America, Britain, France and Saudi Arabia have 65 on their side. "Many countries under pressure from big powers promised not to vote for the Serbian resolution, but will not vote against it either. It is not known how 30 countries are going to vote," writes Blic, and adds they are now the target of the "diplomatic fight". The paper also says it learned unofficially that Serbia Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić has also prepared a letter to be sent to his colleagues worldwide, seeking support for Serbian resolution pointing out that Serbia is faced with unilateral secession today what may happen to any other country tomorrow. The UN General Assembly is expected to debate Serbia's Kosovo draft in New on September 9.